Thinking method · Meadows, Thinking in Systems
Find the loop
Seeing where an effect feeds back into its own cause. A situation that repeats no matter who is involved.
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Seeing where an effect feeds back into its own cause.
The steps
- List the parts involved. Nouns, not judgements.
- Draw an arrow wherever one part changes another, and mark it same-direction or opposite-direction.
- Look for any path that returns to where it started — that is a loop.
- Mark whether it amplifies (more makes more) or balances (more makes less).
- Mark the delays. Delay is why loops are hard to see.
- Ask where the loop could be broken, and which break is realistic rather than ideal.
When to use it
A situation that repeats no matter who is involved.
What it will not do
A map is not the system. It is a hypothesis about the system.
Where it comes from: Meadows, Thinking in Systems. Described in our own words.
The module it belongs to
- Systems Thinking — Understand connections and consequences